Star Trek: Would Joe Cornish Be An Upgrade Over JJ Abrams?

We got some more forward progress on round three of Star Trek today. Maybe. Rumors are swirling that the fine folks over at Paramount might be excited about hiringAttack The Block director Joe Cornish to shepherd the newest installment to conclusion. No doubt the choice would be a surprising one, but it’s unclear whether or not it would be a good one. In fact, fan reaction thus far has been about as mixed as—oh I don’t know—everything about the last two Trek movies.

Much of that hyper-polarization, of course, traces its way back to one-time franchise helmer JJ Abrams. The noted director took the thought-provoking weirdness of the property and really honed in on the action elements, forced in a little more sex appeal and sharply increased the pace. That combination led to very solid box office returns, tons of new Star Trek fans and irate superfans. With Abrams off to tinker with another franchise, however, Star Trek is in the unique position of reimagining its own destiny, if the rumors are true, with Cornish at the helm.

On the one hand, it’s easy to see why certain fans might be really nervous about this potential hiring. Attack The Block is a pretty damn good movie, but putting together a $15 million science fiction film in the United Kingdom does not require the same skills as making a $200 million event film extravaganza financed by big studio money with big studio checks. The latter requires an army of interpersonal skills and an ability to know when to compromise and when to stand firm. Maybe Cornish has those skills. Maybe he doesn’t. In addition, it would be nice to have someone with a little more actual film experience. Hollywood history is filled with people who used up every single good idea they had on their breakout movie and never accomplished anything more.

On the other hand, however, there’s something ballsy and inspiring about going from someone with an extremely studio-friendly perspective (Abrams) to someone who is a bit more of a wild card (Cornish). Yes, as Marvel has proven you want some continuity, but now and again, you also need some fresh blood. You need someone with new ideas that might give Orci and Kurtzman some different notes or even –gasp- campaign for someone else to help write the film.

What do you think? Would Cornish be an improvement over Abrams? Let us know where you stand on the issue by voting in the poll below or by sounding off in the comment section…